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Page Two THE SKYSCRAPER May 5, 1965 THE SlfSCItPEI IB I NIL UII I U U IIIII L II wi'M (// ('/) current issues and events and H hold them before the campus in order that members of the Mundelein community may sense and direct history rather than bob in its wake. Controversial Positions Better Than Neutrality Each day the United States and its Communist enemies are drawn closer to a war neither side wants, but both seem powerless to avoid. Red China and Russia cannot be expected to remain passive while America extends .the Viet Namese war to the North. The United States cannot continue to spend 2 million daily on an undeclared war which has already destroyed thousands of American lives, but it is unwilling to allow South Viet Nam to fall into Communist hands. American opinion regarding the Southeast Asian struggle ranges from support for a massive military effort against Hanoi and Peking, although .this may lead to nuclear world war, to advocation of complete American withdrawal from Viet Nam, although this may result in Com munist takeover in that nation. American college students have been particularly vocal concerning the Viet Nam crisis during the past weeks. Sixteen thousand students and teachers have converged on Washington to protest Administration policies they consider futile and the escalation of a war they consider self-defeating. Express Concern over Viet Policy These students who have enough concern over their nation's policy in Viet Nam to express their beliefs by public demonstrations and fast ing cannot simply be dismissed as leftists or crackpots. They are re pulsed by Administration attempts to expand the war by bombing North Viet Nam. They are puzzled by their President who has asked for uncon ditional negotiations, yet refuses to consider the suggestions .to cease fire and attempt negotiations put forth by .the chairman of the senate committee on foreign relations. The demonstrators heartily support the President in his quest for peace but disagree with the means by which he is seeking to achieve this end in Viet Nam. They fail to see how American intervention can establish a free society in a nation with a history of dictators and where the status quo has been described by Alaska's Senator Robert Bartlett as one of change. They would agree with Senator Bartlett that we must not cast our lot and the lot of the free world in a quixotic attempt to preserve a stability which does not exist. Present Possible Solutions The students who picketed the White House during the past weeks were not without plans for alternative American action. They presented to Congress a petition outlining four possible solutions to the Viet Nam crisis: reconvening the Geneva Conference, negotiating with the Hanoi regime, immediate withdrawal of American forces and UN-supervised elections. Even if none of these solutions is feasible, the students who advo cate them cannot be condemned for their beliefs. They are young Ameri cans with an awareness of international problems who will grasp and direct the history of this century. It is the student who does not have enough knowledge or concern over international problems such as Viet Nam so as to express an opinion who will bob in history's wake. Tailored Education Fills Older Woman's Needs Announcement of the Mundelein Division for Continuing Education emphasizes a situation which is not always apparent to the student ob taining her education in the normal, uninterupted progression of ele mentary and secondary schools, then college. Until recently it was as sumed that if a woman resumed her education after marriage, she re sumed it on the same basis as a normal-aged college student. It was recognized that these women were seeking to fulfill their latent potential by preparing for work of some kind and this search was applauded. What was overlooked was the fact that a woman who has a family brings entirely different needs, expectancies and contribu tions to the educational process. Turn to Further Education To an even greater extent the basic reason why more and more mature women should find it necessary to turn to further education, work or myriad club activities was ignored. Like so many of the problems in American life today, the explanation rests in the change from a rural to an urban society. The working, learning, socializing and living of farm life was car ried on as a family unit. The contribution of each member was imme diately recognized as equally important. All of life was shared and the contributions of the mother were especially vital. The change to an urban oriented society destroys this intrinsic unity in family life. The husband is away from the home most of the day. The children, too, spend most of their time at school or in other activities. Consequently, the traditional occupations of a wife and mother assume a less integral importance, especially since menial tasks of housework can be done by appliances and gadgets. Re-orientate Traditional Role A feeling of exclusion and uselessness result and women turn to other pursuits outside the home. This is not a repudiation of woman's traditional role, but a re orientation. It is necessary for the modern woman to affirm her im portance to herself, her family and to a new society in a new way. It is in recognizing this re-orientation that programs such as the Continuing Education Division can and will meet the needs of the mature woman. For, those participating in this and other programs are not sim ply older students. They are a new and vital element of emerging so ciety. Commission Probes Problems Found in Religious Colleges The growing concern for the fu ture of higher education in Ameri can religiously-affiliated institu tions prompted the Board of Trus tees of the Danforth Foundation in 1962 to authorize an assessment of such institutions. The Danforth Commission on Church Colleges was established project and on Mary Ann Ida, and Universities to conduct the April 23, Sister B.V.M., partici pated in a panel discussion on the preliminary report of this com mission at one of 11 regional meet ings. The problems confronting many of the religiously-affiliated colleges and universities under study paral- lele those uncovered at Mundelein by the Institutional Analysis. The institutions involved in the project have a three-fold character. The majority are privately con trolled and essentially privately endowed; they are typically liberal arts and science colleges or are structured around a liberal arts core; they have a religious di mension. These institutions, a minority by Diane Sargol in the U.S., tend to follow certain trends. Their enrollments are growing almost too quickly to be handled. This is attributed to the fact that there are more young people today seeking a college edu cation due to the rapidly rising U.S. standard of living and the demand for college educated per sonnel. Another important tendency is the progressive secularization of the Western culture and a decline in the church's impact. In the last few centuries the influence of organized religion has diminished and though occasionally revived, it is on the defensive in the mod ern intellectual world. A final characteristic is the ob vious decline of liberal arts edu cation in the U.S. over the cen tury. American universities, which were formerly modeled after un- der-graduate British colleges have fallen under the influence of the German university idea. This plan gave priority to technical training and graduate study. Such atten tion to research broadened the ex- Sounding Board Editor: Thank you for sending the Sky scraper to me. I enjoy it and think you and your staff are doing a good job. I'm writing in regard to your recent articles on the participation of Mundelein students and faculty in the march to Selma. It is my opinion that their effort ac complished little or no lasting benefit, and that both the time and money spent could have been put to better use. If 38 students spent 50 hours each tutoring Negro children in Chicago, there would be a lasting benefit. If the same students sent the 20 cost of the trip to the Ne gro hospital in Selma, there would be a lasting benefit. However, this would not be as glamorous and exciting, and they wouldn't be able to come home and say Look how liberal I am; I went to Selma. My husband and I belong to the Toledo Catholic Interracial Coun cil, and also strive to improve ra cial conditions through our local CFM. We try to encourage a fa vorable racial climate among our friends and neighbors. We are doing our every best to raise our children to understand the equality of all men. I wrote this letter because I feel that tolerance and understanding are not accomplished by one dra matic gesture, but rather by pa tient, untiring and continuous ef fort. Nancy Scanlon Burke Class of 1960 Editor: The recent editorial on required retreats raises questions which de serve discussion. When asked for an interview on the subject by a Skyscraper reporter early in March, I welcomed the opportunity to discuss with her some of the re search and thinking on the sub ject being done by a group of in terested faculty who worked with me during the second semester. Although it was not possible to change the format of retreats al ready scheduled for this year, it was thought that the students would be interested in knowing that faculty and administration were concerned with the whole question of student retreats as well as with some of the new experi ments being tried elsewhere which could have relevance for our own campus. I was sorry to see no mention of this faculty concern in the editorial. It is hoped that a discussion can be arranged for the near future to provide an opportunity for stu dents, faculty and administration members to exchange ideas on the subject Sisii'i' Mary Assisium, B.V.M. Dean of Students Editor: In reply to Miss Maureen Sulli van's letter expressing concern over the pathetic situation she believes exists in the SAC, it must be remembered that it was a Council member who objected to negative discussion and it was not the feeling of the SAC. In point of fact, the SAC has welcomed and encouraged student opinion (both positive and negative) throughout the year as evidenced by the in stitution of the SAC Outlook and by opinion posters placed on the SAC board. It is unfortunate that this mis understanding has occurred, but Miss Sullivan can be assured that her opinion as well as that of all other students is most welcome. The Student Activities Council panse of knowledge in U.S. uni versities. This theory, however, created near havoc in American institu tions. It stressed factual knowl edge rather than broad compre hension of the area of study, thus placing the emphasis on book- knowledge rather than on the stu dent's personal achievements. A similar problem continues in many large American universities today, but can be avoided in small institutions. This fact is ascribed to the responsiveness to leadership in the smaller student body. In the latter situation, flexibility and manageability allow change and improvement in a short time as op posed to the complicated proce dures required in larger institu tions. In spite of these advantages, small universities also have their shortcomings. Among these, a lack of funds is the limiting factor of many such colleges, yet the scarcity of qualified professors necessitates a higher salary offer for a more competent faculty. The small liberal arts college with a department composed of only one or two faculty members is often limited in the viewpoints presented to the students. This situation is particularly evident in the social sciences where there are distinct schools of thought. Such a situation has been used to advantage by many small in stitutions in a program which Mundelein will pursue next year. The merging of departments in related fields affords a larger fac ulty and a wider breadth of ideas for presentation. A suggestions of the Commission for further improving the aca demic segment of the college is the establishment of a strong lib eral or general core sequence. This series of courses, a part of Mun delein's 3-3-3 program, will offer students a well-rounded back ground in the liberal arts. Stress on independent study and discussion among faculty and stu dents manifests an atmosphere of intellectual advancement. The Danforth Commission suggests that such programs would not only improve faculty-student relations, but would stimulate the study of and involvement in current issues. Mundelein, like many of the other institutions involved in this study, will embark on a program of in dependent and tutorial study in an effort to present a broader scope of learning. A final benefit offered by a small college to the students is personal counseling. Small groups are ad vised by a faculty member and professional counselors are often employed to assist individuals with specific problems. ZJke J KpS craper Vol. XXXV May 5, 1965 No. 15 Newspaper of Distinction The Skyscraper is published semi-monthly, September to May Inclusive except during exam and vacation periods, by the students of Mundelein College. 6363 Sheridan Rd.. Chicago. 111., 60626. Subscription rate is J2 per year. Entered as second-class matter Nov. 30. 1932. at the U.S. Post Office, Chicago, 111., under the act ot March 3, 1897. The Skyscraper is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the Catholic School Press Association. Letters to the editor must be signed. The Skyscraper reserves the right to cut letters in case of limited space. Editor in Chief Mary Etta Talarico Associate Editor Rae Paul Feature Editor - - Sylvia Hajek Make-up Caryl Jean Cinelll, Barbara Kubicz, Bobbie Bohan Columnist - Mary Lynch Staff -. Jean Durall, Diane Sargol. Patricia Toussaint, Nancy Vandenberg, Eileen Jack, Marilyn Gibbs, Judy Wardwell, Pat Czapar. Barbara Mounsey. Rose Goetz, Kathy Riley. Diane Quirin. Brenda Dinneen Photographers Betsy Braunlin, Diane Sargol, Aldine Favaro
title:
1965-05-05 (2)
publisher:
Women and Leadership Archives http://www.luc.edu/wla
creator:
Mundelein College
description:
Student newspaper for Mundelein College
subject:
Newspapers
subject:
Religious communities--Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
subject:
Students
subject:
Universities and colleges
subject:
Women's education
relation:
Mundelein College Records
type:
Text
language:
English
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Chicago, Illinois
coverage:
Mundelein College